About 50 Egyptian judges are continuing a sit-in protest in Cairo on Monday, protesting against a government decision to prosecute two of their colleagues.
The judges are protesting against the referral of Mahmoud Makki and Hisham Al-Bastawisi, two prominent judges, to a disciplinary board. The two have pressed for an inquiry into electoral fraud in the 2005 general elections in Egypt.
They are expected to appear before a disciplinary hearing on Thursday and are likely to lose their positions.
Talks between the judges’ association and the Justice Ministry have so far fallen through.
The judges’ association has snubbed an offer of Justice Minister Mahmoud Abu A-Leil who proposed to end the inquiry of the prosecuted judges, and in exchange for the judges to end their protest and to apologize to the supreme judiciary council.
The judges want a law that will grant them independence from the government.
Judges were tasked with supervising the elections, but many are saying the government is using them to legitimize fraud, and not allowing them to adequately carry out their duties.
This Thursday, the judges’ association will hold an emergency meeting to decide on the next step, which might be a general strike.